


Not A Minute To Waste

by Random_Nerd3



Series: JatP Whumptober 2020 [2]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Before The Orpheum Performance, Caleb Covington Being Himself, Deals, F/M, Gen, Heavy Angst, Her Himbos Are Self Sacrificing Idiots, Hurt No Comfort, I'm not sorry, It's not okay, Julie Has To Choose, Pick who dies, Pre - s01e09 Stand Tall, Whumptober 2020, someone has to die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26774782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Nerd3/pseuds/Random_Nerd3
Summary: Julie wakes up disoriented in Caleb's Hollywood Ghost Club with her boys growing weaker beside her. Caleb gives her an ultimatum, decide who spends an eternity in the HGC with him, or damn all three of her boys to an eternity of darkness. Unable to choose, one of her boys makes the choice for her.
Relationships: Alex & Julie Molina, Alex & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Series: JatP Whumptober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949821
Comments: 10
Kudos: 188





	Not A Minute To Waste

Julie woke up to the sound of people singing and dancing. The cheers roared in her ears as she tried to remember what happened. They played the Orpheum, but her boys didn’t crossover. She begged for them to go back to Caleb, but Reggie… Reggie said they never wanted to go back there. Looking around her she could see she was in some sort of strange club with a high-energy level performance being put on. The table she was sitting at was at the center of the front row, with the boys in the other chairs around it. “Luke,” Julie hissed, she reached out to shake his shoulders, but her hand just passed through him.  _ Caleb, _ she thought, the name made her blood curdle and she immediately. Suddenly on guard, she scanned the performers looking for the man who owned her friend’s souls.

“Jules?” Luke asked groggily, eyes blinking open. Reggie stirred next, with Alex following suit. They were all hit by a painful jolt, getting knocked off their chairs. Julie just wished she could help them, she wished there was  _ something _ she could do to stop the pain. The boys were all weak, faces pale and their eyes… Reggie’s were the worst. The playful mischievous light that they’d all taken for granted wasn’t there anymore.

“What are we doing back here?” Alex asked as they tried to settle back into their chairs. Reggie let out a groan of pain and he flashed, almost disappearing entirely. Julie felt tears roll down her cheek as Reggie started to cry himself, muttering unintelligible sentences as Luke tried to calm him down.

“I’ll tell you what you’re doing here Alexander,” a man said from the stage. He tossed the microphone he was holding behind him and poofed closer to the table. Luke groaned in pain next to Julie and her heart clenched, she couldn’t lose him. She couldn’t lose  _ any _ of her boys, she just couldn’t. She was  _ sixteen  _ years old. The most she should have to worry about is passing classes and gossiping with Flynn, not worried over the fact if the only good thing in her life was going to disappear in the flick of Caleb’s wrist.

“Caleb, what do you want?” Julie asked, standing up to face the man himself. Caleb just grinned wickedly as his dancers surrounded their table like a flock of vultures looking for their next meal. Another jolt made her boys shout in pain, doubling over the table in pain. The boys all looked to each other like they knew something awful was coming. Julie could feel the pull of the club, the way Caleb’s sweet silky lyrics worked their way into her mind, and she could only imagine how strong her boys had to be in order to stay with her for as long as they did. Caleb waved his hands, gesturing at her boys flinching in pain.

“Isn’t obvious lifer? I want a new house band!” Caleb exclaimed, and the crowd exploded in a wave of cheers. Julie tensed,

“Well you aren’t getting  _ my _ band. Let them go,” she said, trying to mask how afraid she really was. Luke coughed next to her, trying to speak but was unable to. Reggie started to flicker in and out more, like he was getting weaker by the second. Caleb’s cackled echoed in her mind, warping it’s way around lyrics she wrote with Luke. Julie pushed him out of her thoughts though, trying to pull herself out of his spell.

“My dear, I wish I could let them all go but… they did make a deal, and now they’re running out of time.” Caleb said, is devilish grin darkening his face. Julie glared at him,

“They shook your hand because you  _ tricked _ them!” Another jolt shocked Reggie, and it looked like he was barely holding on. Caleb looked between the boys, then his eyes widened like he suddenly got an idea.

“I know! You want to keep your boys, you need to choose one of them who will stay and play here for me!” Caleb looked like he did Julie a favor, telling her she had to prioritize the life of two of her boys over the life of one of them. She was torn. She had to keep Luke, when they met something sparked in her and she just couldn’t lose that spark again. The other two though, Reggie and Alex, have both been just as impactful in her life as Luke. Not to mention the fact that Reggie was finally getting the family he deserved, and Alex had told her he finally felt comfortable in his own skin.

“Julie,” Luke coughed as he started to flicker more. “Don’t.” Julie looked between her boys and just knew she could never damn any of them to spend an eternity in Caleb’s night club. Julie tore her gaze from Luke as Alex got hit by a more violent jolt, knocking him flat on the floor.

“Alex!” Julie cried out, racing around the table to kneel at his side. She tried to rap his fingers in hers, but they just passed through his hands. “Alex you can’t. You need to stay!” Caleb loomed closer to them and separated them from Luke and Reggie.

“It has to be me,” Alex choked out as a shiver raced through his body. “Reggie has a dad, and Luke has you -” he was cut off by a wave of violent coughs. Caleb cackled,

“Well isn’t this just an interesting little turn of events isn’t it Julie?” Julie’s tears hit the floor as Alex began to flicker out more quickly. “Either damn him to an eternity of not existing, or pick him, and let him stay alive!” Julie let out a wretched sounding sob,

“I will never pick one of my boys and force them to stay here with you!” She shouted angrily as she could only watch Alex’s body flash in and out. She could only imagine the amount of pain Reggie and Luke were going through. Caleb still blocked her vision, so she couldn’t see Luke at the table.

“Not a choice.” Alex’s voice said, he sounded like static, a bad radio station trying to dial in. “My decision.” Before Julie could do or say anything else Alex disappeared in a flash of bright light and Julie’s sobs rolled through her body. Caleb seemed satisfied with what happend and placed his hand on Julie’s shoulder.

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you Miss. Molina,” Caleb said before launching into a new dance number. The new song started off with the drum solo Alex was meant to have played in  _ Stand Tall _ . The dancers left their table and Julie dragged her feet back to her chair between Luke and Reggie. They both looked like they were doing better, they looked more  _ solid. _ Luke watched helplessly as Alex played his drums without the passion Julie was used to. Watching their friend play with his soulless eyes, unfocused and unmoving, was too much for them to watch. Luke grabbed Julie’s wrist and they all poofed back into the studio, falling into each other as waves of sobs rolled off all three of them. They sunk to the floor in front of Alex’s drum kit, no one spoke as Julie’s cries filled the night air. In her grief she didn’t even realize that despite being a bastard, Caleb kept to his deal… and Luke and Reggie were able to wrap their arms around her as the three of them cried themselves to sleep, mourning the loss of a friend, knowing nothing would ever be the same again.


End file.
